Davis residents might be skeptical because their hopes have been dashed before, but Trader Joe’s is going to open at University Mall.

Really.

The specialty grocer courted by communities nationwide intends to open in late 2010 or early 2011, according to mall owner Centro Properties Group.

Trader Joe’s confirmed the new store this week, but company spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki would not provide additional details.

Trader Joe’s will take the site occupied by Radiological Associates of Sacramento Medical Group Inc.

Centro submitted building permit plans to the city on Nov. 20. The RAS building will be demolished and replaced with a 12,888-square-foot structure for Trader Joe’s.

The city has no estimate for annual sales-tax revenue from the grocery store, but is enthusiastic that it would help the mall “improve its viability as a retail destination in town,” Davis deputy city manager Ken Hiatt said.

The project gained city approval in 2006, in an earlier effort to locate at University Mall.

The arrival of Trader Joe’s would be a big boost for the mall, which has lost tenants during the recession. Closures include anchor Gottschalks, which went out of business; Ritz Camera, which closed hundreds of stores as part of a bankruptcy reorganization; longtime Mexican restaurant La Esperanza; and Sylvan Learning Center.

With Trader Joe’s committed and clothing retailer Forever 21 negotiating for the former Gottschalks space, Charlie Swanson said things are “definitely looking up” at the mall. Swanson, president of The Graduate bar and eatery in the mall, has seen the up-and-down cycles during his 25 years at the mall.

It’s a “no-brainer,” he said. Trader Joe’s would “drive a ton of traffic to the center.”

Thanks to lower prices and more marketing, The Graduate didn’t feel a slowdown from the recession until Gottschalks closed this past summer. The department store drove traffic to The Graduate, with its customers and employees, Swanson said.

Centro spokeswoman Stacy Slater would not comment about Forever 21 or RAS.

Radiological Associates had fought to maintain its seven-year lease, which expires in April. The company has decided to not extend the lease, said Steve Boutin, RAS’ attorney with Boutin Gibson Di Giusto Hodell Inc.

Centro had sued Radiological Associates in an effort to relocate the company to the back of the mall. The case was dismissed, but Centro has appealed the ruling.

The legal fight stalled Trader Joe’s from opening at the preferred location at the mall.

Trader Joe’s is “a great addition to the community of Davis and adds tremendously to the merchandising mix of the center,” Slater said.

But she added it’s been a long process to bring Trader Joe’s to the 98,000-square-foot mall, which is 57 percent leased.

It’s not clear what the added competition — especially with Trader Joe’s loyal following — will mean for existing supermarkets in Davis or an independent grocer, DeLano’s IGA Market, which is moving to town in January.

Davis has six grocery stores — two Safeways, two Nuggets, a Save Mart and the Davis Food Co-op. The new Target store also sells some food.

Eric Stromberg, Co-op general manager, doesn’t know what to expect from Trader Joe’s.

“It is hard to tell,” he said. “I am concerned.”

Market researchers say Trader Joe’s usually attracts only a little business from co-ops, but Stromberg figures Davis is an unknown because the city is smaller than other communities with Trader Joe’s. Davis isn’t lacking in grocery stores, he said, so Trader Joe’s “will have to take grocery dollars from somewhere.”

Mochizuki would not disclose how often Davis residents shop at the chain’s other six stores in the region.

Privately owned Trader Joe’s has more than 325 stores in 25 states. The Monrovia-based company added 23 stores this year.